Consider Updating Your Provo Breakroom

The workplace including the office breakroom is changing. After the pendulum swung from everyone working at the office to a dramatic jump in remote employees, the pendulum is settling somewhere in the middle. Provo companies are bringing their employees back to the office in hopes of fostering face-to-face collaboration, inspiring innovation, and increasing productivity. And thankfully, it isn’t back into cubeville or the dark, sparsely-decorated breakroom hidden somewhere at the back of the building. Companies are redesigning their environments to be open, communal areas with spaces designed to promote spontaneous work-related conversations and increase morale.

One area that is no longer left as an afterthought is the office breakroom. To learn more about what your Provo employees need and want, try surveying them. They know what they want. A recent Staples survey found that “83 percent of employees say that a well-stocked breakroom results in happier employees, while 53 percent say that a well-stocked breakroom results in more productive employees.”

In 2018, there are a wide variety of options available including pantry service, cafe-style coffee service, and the micro-market.

Open concept “mini” store using open shelving, glass-front coolers, and self-checkout technology
Offers employees the option to read nutrition labels and make educated decisions about what to eat or drink
Highlights the opportunity to make healthy choices by offering fresh and nutritious sandwiches, wraps, salads, snacks and beverages, fresh produce, and yogurt
Includes a wide variety of choices which acknowledge that employees have distinct preferences and unique work schedules

Creates a gourmet coffee-house experience without leaving the office
Includes a variety of teas and specially sourced coffee beans and locally roasted coffees creating a unique coffee experience
Uses different brewing systems including single-cup brewers, traditional brewers, and commercial brewers

Pantry space in your break room with open shelving, bright glass-front coolers, and displays full of food, snack and beverage options
Includes a wide variety of choices which acknowledges that employees have distinct preferences and unique work schedules
Often includes a selection of breakfast foods, fresh and nutritious sandwiches, wraps, salads, fresh produce, and yogurt as well as healthy and traditional snacks and beverages
Employers cover the full cost of this benefit allowing employees to focus on other financial responsibilities

Which options will your employees prefer? Think of Breakroom Choices as a partner that can help with your Provo staffing needs through the services that we offer. To learn more about pantry service, cafe-style coffee service, or the micro-market, contact us at 866-Choice9 (866-246-4239). We look forward to collaborating with you.

Office Coffee Service Boosts Productivity in West Jordan

“Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee” is a phrase almost all West Jordan employees have heard at least once at the beginning of the workday. Whether an individual needs the caffeine to finish waking up or to just mentally prepare for the day ahead, coffee plays an important role for more than 64 percent of American adults. With the increasing number of coffee drinkers, employers have an opportunity to harness the effects of caffeine by turning it into a productivity tool. As David Sprinkle, research director for Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com expressed, “companies need to provide higher-quality coffee and related benefits as part of broader employee retention and loyalty strategies that ultimately help enhance employee productivity.”

With more than half (68 percent) of at-work coffee drinkers drinking coffee that is made or dispensed in the office break room, there is an opportunity to positively impact the majority of West Jordan employees. Offering a sought-after selection of beans and roasts and other hot beverages will also encourage employees to get to the office in the morning and keep them onsite during the workday.

It is well established that the caffeine decreases fatigue, provides a mental boost, and improves, memory, reaction times, and concentration. Each of these benefits positively impacts an individual’s productivity, but recent research by the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis has found that caffeine also has a positive impact on a group’s performance. Groups that have consumed coffee were more willing to work and generated a higher number of topic relevant statements. Coffee breaks also contribute to an increase in networking and spontaneous idea generation among groups of individuals.

Step 1: Offer options in your West Jordan break room that can compete with coffee purchased or made outside of the office. Be aware that employees value quality and flavor, but are often disappointed when it comes to at-work choices.

Step 2: Invest in higher-quality options. Packaged Facts recommends offering only “two varieties that communicate clear distinctions that matter to the target audience could make most employees happy while keeping product assortment manageable.”

Step 3: Don’t forget to offer your employees a variety of sweeteners and creamers and a selection of healthy snacks and meals to enjoy with their cup of Joe.

Step 4: Contact Breakroom Choices at 866-Choice9 (866-246-4239) to customize your office coffee service or to add healthy snacks and beverages via a break room micro-market or vending machines — your employees will enjoy the added benefit.

Salt Lake City Consumers Prefer Bottled Water

“For the first time in history, bottled water is the No.1 packaged beverage in the United States (by volume). People are shifting away from less healthy packaged drinks and choosing the healthy option—bottled water.”

– Jill Culora, International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), Vice President of Communications

According to a recent study by the IBWA, more than 63 percent of Americans choose bottled water as their beverage of choice. And 94 percent of Americans believe that bottled water is healthier than soft drinks. But what exactly does the phrase ‘bottled water’ mean? The definition is more complex than it might initially seem.

Per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bottled water is a consumer food product; which means that strict standards of identity must be followed in order to legally call a bottle filled with water ‘bottled water’. The FDA requires that the “type” of water must be clearly printed on the label of all bottled water sold in the United States. To understand the FDA’s classifications, it is important to know the following terms.

Spring Water: “Derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface, this water must be collected only at the spring or through a borehole that taps the underground formation feeding the spring. If some external force is used to collect the water through a borehole, the water must have the same composition and quality as the water that naturally flows to the surface.”

Purified Water: “Bottled water that has been treated by distillation, reverse osmosis, or another suitable process may meet standards that allow it to be labeled as “purified water.””

Mineral Water: “This water comes from an underground source and contains at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids. Minerals and trace elements must come from the source of the underground water. They cannot be added later.”

Artesian Water/Artesian Well Water: “This water is collected from a well that taps an aquifer—layers of porous rock, sand, and earth that contain water—which is under pressure from surrounding upper layers of rock or clay. When tapped, the pressure in the aquifer, commonly called artesian pressure, pushes the water above the level of the aquifer, sometimes to the surface. Other means may be used to help bring the water to the surface.”

Well Water: “This is water from a hole bored or drilled into the ground, which taps into an aquifer.”

Understanding the different water sources and methods of extraction will help Salt Lake City employees answer questions about the taste, quality, and safety of a specific type of water. This is especially important as 82 percent of Americans think they should drink more water and 90 percent believe that bottled water is a healthy and convenient beverage.

To help your Salt Lake City employees stay hydrated and healthy, make sure to include bottled water in your office breakroom vending machine. Try offering healthy snacks with healthy beverages at a reduced cost. It not only keeps everyone hydrated and satiated, but it’s also a great moral booster. For more information about adding healthy vending machines to your Salt Lake City breakroom, call Breakroom Choices at 866-Choice9 (866-246-4239).

Salt Lake City, Enjoy Bottled Water at Any Time of the Year

Bottled water continues to be a popular choice for both refreshment and rehydration in Salt Lake City. As the seasons change and summer comes to an end, Salt Lake City employees are getting ready for all that the fall and winter have to bring. Even though the temperature may be slowly dropping, it is important to remember to stay hydrated.

Dehydration can happen to anyone when there “is a lack of water in the body resulting from inadequate intake of fluids.” Even a small amount of dehydration can cause headaches, poor concentration, tiredness, and lightheadedness — all symptoms that can make it harder for employees to be productive. An easy way to stay hydrated is to always have low or no-sugar beverages like bottled water available in the office break room vending machine.

Bottled water choices in the United States (U.S.) have expanded to include domestic non-sparkling water (5.5 percent increase), domestic sparking water (27.5 percent increase), imported sparkling and non-sparkling water (9.2 percent increase), and home and office delivery of 3 to 5-gallon size bottles (1.3 percent increase). The switch from other packaged drinks to bottled water has been so strong that, according to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), “bottled water is the number one beverage product in the U.S., by volume, for a second year in a row.”

And that list of beverages includes carbonated soft drinks whose sales have continued to decline over the past 13 years as consumers have shifted away from sugar-sweetened beverages. Some of the reasons why Salt Lake City employees have made the switch include the following. Bottled water is a healthy choice, tastes great and is refreshing, is convenient and available any time of day, and Is portable.

Another way to help boost productivity is to keep hunger at bay by offering healthy snacks in office break room vending machines or micro-market. Eating healthy snacks regularly throughout the day keeps energy levels up and blood sugar stable. A satiated and hydrated employee is a winning combination. For more information about adding a micro-market or healthy snack and beverage vending machines to your place of business, contact Breakroom Choices at 866-Choice9 (866-246-4239). We look forward to working with you.

Clearfield, Watch Out for Caffeine Lurking in Your Beverages and Snacks

In 2018, the number of beverages, snacks, and food that contain caffeine has skyrocketed. Whether it’s espresso, coffee, decaffeinated coffee, hot or iced tea, caffeinated soda (cola and non-cola varieties), chocolate and anything made with chocolate or coffee, energy drinks including energy water, caffeinated snacks such as granola bars and energy bars, or gum, everything contains caffeine. The challenge for Clearfield employees is to figure out how much caffeine is too much since everyone experiences and is impacted by caffeine differently.

Recent research by Dr. J.W. Langer, a clinical pharmacology lecturer at Copenhagen University, found that “each person’s unique genetic makeup determines to what degree a given amount of caffeine will affect the individual. Some [individuals] will metabolise caffeine quickly, while others will metabolise it more slowly. Some will show greater sensitivity to the stimulating effects of caffeine, while others need higher amounts to feel an effect.”

Clearfield’s employees’ genetic makeup is only one of the reasons why each person responds differently to caffeine. That genetically-caused response usually triggers a unique self-regulating reaction that can affect a person’s regular intake of caffeine. Either a person will be able to consume more caffeine before they have a negative response, or they will recognize that they need to consume less because the response is too strong.

So how can this information improve your Clearfield break room? The answer is by encouraging organizations and facility managers to look closely at their employees’ refreshment needs and to realize that a variety of caffeinated and non-caffeinated snacks and beverages should be offered in the break room. Below is a chart that shows which beverages have the most caffeine per eight ounces of liquid.

There are several important responses that can occur when caffeinated snacks and beverages are available in the break room.

- Spontaneous conversations and problem solving are more likely to happen when employees remain on-site for meals, snacks, and coffee breaks.
- Morale levels often get a boost when there is an inviting break room space with sought-after snacks and beverages.
- Productivity levels increase as consuming caffeine is known to boost energy levels.

If an increase in spontaneous conversations, problem solving, and morale and productivity levels sounds appealing, it’s time to change up your Clearfield break room. Come collaborate with Breakroom Choices and design a customized menu offering a variety of caffeinated and non-caffeinated snacks and beverages. For more information about elevating your break room, contact us at 866-Choice9 (866-246-4239).

Sandy, What Is Your Favorite Breakroom Snack?

Everyone has that one favorite “not-so-healthy” snack that they enjoy every now and then. While we’ve all heard that moderation is key, deciding whether to go healthy or not can be quite the dilemma. Often Sandy consumers want to eat healthy, but at the same time, they want to enjoy their favorite sweet or salty guilty pleasure.

Many of Sandy’s favorite sweet and salty snacks have been around for more than 30 years and include:

Confections (chocolate, candy, etc.): PEZ (1950), Swedish Fish (late 1950s), Nerds (1983), anything made with chocolate
Salty: sunflower seeds, Cheese Balls (1980s), Combos (mid 1970s), Goldfish, Doritos (1974), Pringles (1975), chips, crackers
Cookies and Snack Cakes: Famous Amos cookies (1975), animal crackers (1902), rice krispies treats, Oatmeal Cream Pies (1960), Oreos, Pop-tarts (1964)
Other snacks: Dippin’ Dots (1987), Fruit Roll-ups (1991) or fruit snacks, granola bars, Milk ‘n’ Cereal Bars or breakfast bars (1990s – early 2000s)

If Sandy employees are looking, however, for something that’s a little healthier, there are a lot of healthy sweet and salty options available too. Healthier snack options include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, popcorn, squeezable yogurt tubes, yogurt smoothies, pre-packaged organic meal kits, salsa, and hummus. Many of these healthy snacks can also be combined to create a healthy mini-meal when there isn’t enough time for a sit down meal.

Don’t forget to offer refreshing beverages along with both healthy and not-so-healthy snacks. It’s important to keep your employees hydrated as well as satiated. To learn more about the many different types of breakroom snack and beverage options in Sandy, call Breakroom Choices at 866-Choice9 (866-246-4239).

Quick and Healthy Snacks in Your Salt Lake City Vending Machine

Are you looking for something to eat that is quick and healthy, and can be found in your Salt Lake City break room vending machine? Whether it’s a quick breakfast, fuel for a lunchtime workout, an afternoon snack, or a sweet treat, a KIND® bar can meet each one of those needs. Each bar is made from nutritionally-dense ingredients and contains no secret ingredients, artificial flavors, preservative or sweeteners. You’ll find nuts, real fruit, chocolate, spicy and savory flavors, and five super grains including oats, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, and quinoa.

And soon, you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite KIND® bar with others when you travel around the globe. In a new partnership with Mars, Incorporated, KIND will be able to expand their product offerings and business into international markets while continuing to make healthy and tasty foods available and create a kinder world through meaningful social impact initiatives.

Daniel Lubetzky, Founder and CEO of KIND, explained it best when he said, “we’re looking forward to continuing on this journey as we empower more people to make healthy eating decisions across the globe. We remain fully committed to our guiding principles, including our commitment to always use a nutritious food as the first and predominant ingredient in every food product.”

Whether enjoying a vending machine snack in Salt Lake City or around the world, it’s nice to know that KIND will continue to fulfill its KIND Promise. Employees can continue to count on

Snacks made from real food, wholesome ingredients, and sound nutrition;
Nuts, whole grains, or fruit as the first and predominant ingredient;
Everyone and everything being treated with integrity and kindness;
Transparency about everything from ingredients to labeling;
Low amounts of added sugar and no artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols; and tasty and healthy snacks.

An additional way to offer encouragement and support to your Salt Lake City employees in their quest to be healthy, is to provide a wide range of healthy snacks and beverages in the office break room vending machine. Fresh fruit, unsweetened tea, or bottled water are all great accompaniments to a KIND® bar. Help your employees a bit more by offering those snacks and beverages at a reduced cost or for free. That’s a win for everyone.

To learn more about adding healthy vending machine options to your office break room, call Breakroom Choices at 866-Choice9 (866-246-4239). We look forward to hearing from you.

Lehi Snacks and Beverages Go Trendy in 2018

2018 is predicted to bring new and unusual, but tasty, snacks and beverages to Lehi. According to Denise Purcell, head of content for the Specialty Food Association, “Macro trends like sustainability and health are converging in the 2018 [food] trends.” This combination will create food trends including more plant-based foods, upcycled edible products, and healthy alternative sweeteners.

Gone are the days when plant-based foods were only found in out of the way health food stores. Today, plant-based options are endless and can be found everywhere from the local grocery store to the office break room vending machine. Lehi consumers are likely to find a wide variety of plant-based options including dairy-free milk products such as cheese or yogurt; frozen desserts such as ice cream or whipped topping; and convenience foods such as crackers, cereals, cookies, bean chips, premade burritos, and protein bars. Below are a few of the plant ingredients found in healthy snacks and beverages that consumers will enjoy more of in 2018

Dairy-free alternatives: almonds, coconuts, cashews, soy, and rice
Pulses: beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas
Vegetables: beets, sweet potatoes, kale, tomatoes, and corn
Ancient grains: quinoa, spelt, amaranth, kamut, and farro
Protein-rich seeds: hemp, chia, and flax

Forty percent of the food produced in the United States is thrown away each year. That is equivalent to $165 billion of food. Upcycled dishes have already made appearances in home kitchens and restaurants. As Lehi consumers develop a better understanding of this problem, prepackaged upcycled products made from ingredients and scraps that would have otherwise been discarded, will increase in availability. Several snacks and beverages that are already available include

Pressed juice made from imperfect fruit
Chips made from fruit pulp
Snack bars made from spent grain from the beer making process
Condiments including chutney and chilis made from ugly produce
Hot-on-the-go oatmeal made with the coffee fruit

Sugar. Many Lehi consumers have a love-hate relationship with it. It’s tasty, but too much of it can cause health issues. To be able to enjoy something sweet and be mindful of their health, consumers are looking for natural, alternative sweeteners that have a lower glycemic impact, fewer added sugar calories, and a sustainable footprint. The following are a few lesser known fruits that make deliciously sweet syrups and can be found in a variety of snacks and beverages.

Dates: The fruit of the date palm tree that becomes a thick molasses-like syrup with a rich, sweet flavor
Monk fruit: A fruit native to southern China and northern Thailand that has a flavor similar to traditional sugar
Agave: A cactus plant from Mexico and the Southwestern United States that has a flavor similar but milder than honey
Lucuma: A Peruvian fruit with a maple-like taste
Yacon: A South American tuber that tastes like an apple, but has a maple-like flavor when it is a syrup

Have your Lehi employees started looking for snacks and beverages that are healthier or better for the planet? Whether they want a mix of traditional and healthy choices or just an afternoon coffee pick-me-up, Breakroom Choices can help. Call us at 866-Choice9 (866-246-4239) for more information about vending machines, micro-markets, and a variety of other vending options.

Healthy Vending Machine Options in the Inter-Mountain West Can Boost Productivity

Corporate wellness programs including those that offer healthy vending machine options can have a positive impact on both an employee’s health and on the company’s productivity, but only if the wellness program is implemented carefully.

A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, UCLA, and Washington University in St. Louis found that wellness program participation “improved average worker productivity by over 4 percent” which is roughly equivalent “to adding one additional day of productive work per month for each employee” (Gubler, Larkin, & Pierce,2017, p. 2). Taken one step further, researchers determined that by using diet and exercise, sick and healthy employees increased their productivity by 10 percent.

Participation must be voluntary. Researchers found that when participation was required or strongly suggested through social or financial pressure, the participants reacted negatively. Participants perceived the company to be overstepping its bounds and interfering in their health and lifestyle choices.
Participants must believe in the program’s merits and safety. Highlighting the differences between the reality of the program versus its perceptions will help employees trust that their health data will remain private and will not be used for employment-related purposes.
Long-term productivity gains are unlikely to be sustainable through single or short-term interventions. Employers must consider multiple or long-term wellness support for employees if increased productivity is to be sustainable.

Wellness programs or interventions in can occur in many different forms from fitness activities to healthy food choices in the office break room vending machine. The best choices for your specific organization will likely vary from the organization next door. Ask your Inter-Mountain West employees for their opinions and preferences. To start the conversation, consider a few of the following options.

Encourage public transportation, walking or biking—arrange for bike racks and provide “bike to work” promotional materials
Encourage stairwell use by strategically placing posters with information about the physical benefits of using stairs
Offer corporate discounts for health club memberships in the Inter-Mountain West area or offer an on-site fitness facility
Coordinate and market running and walking groups and other monthly and weekly fitness challenges

Turn sit-down meetings into walking meetings
Bring in items that will encourage folks to take a break and rejuvenate such as scooters, game rooms, footballs, and hula hoops
Incorporate plants and other greenery around the office
Offer a quiet spot to take a nap

Offer healthy snack, beverage and food choices via vending machines or a micro-market—don’t forget to include non-dairy milk options for those who are vegan or are dairy intolerant
Offer free or reduced cost refreshments for employees—it’s a great morale booster
Throw a monthly healthy potluck
Coordinate with a community supported agriculture (CSA) for local fruit and vegetable deliveries to the office and/or find local farmers markets in Inter-Mountain West

Whether you are looking to offer Pantry Service, add a new vending machine or create the ultimate break room, Breakroom Choices can help. We offer a wide variety of products and services that can help boost your employees’ wellness, morale, and productivity. Call us at 866-Choice9 (866-246-4239) for more information.

Gubler, T., Larkin, I., and Pierce, L. (2017, June 28). Doing Well by Making Well: The Impact of Corporate Wellness Programs on Employee Productivity. Forthcoming, Management Science. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2811785

Consider Updating Your Provo Breakroom

Consider Updating Your Provo Breakroom

Micro-Market

Cafe-Style Coffee Service

Pantry Service

Office Coffee Service Boosts Productivity in West Jordan

Office Coffee Service Boosts Productivity in West Jordan

Increased Productivity

Plan of Action

Salt Lake City Consumers Prefer Bottled Water

Salt Lake City Consumers Prefer Bottled Water

Salt Lake City, Enjoy Bottled Water at Any Time of the Year

Salt Lake City, Enjoy Bottled Water at Any Time of the Year

Clearfield, Watch Out for Caffeine Lurking in Your Beverages and Snacks

Clearfield, Watch Out for Caffeine Lurking in Your Beverages and Snacks

Sandy, What Is Your Favorite Breakroom Snack?

Sandy, What Is Your Favorite Breakroom Snack?

Quick and Healthy Snacks in Your Salt Lake City Vending Machine

Quick and Healthy Snacks in Your Salt Lake City Vending Machine

Lehi Snacks and Beverages Go Trendy in 2018

Lehi Snacks and Beverages Go Trendy in 2018

Plant-Based Foods

Upcycled Edibles

Alternative Sweeteners

Healthy Vending Machine Options in the Inter-Mountain West Can Boost Productivity

Healthy Vending Machine Options in the Inter-Mountain West Can Boost Productivity

There are, however, several important caveats to consider

Fitness

Corporate Culture

Food Choices

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